We went to Temple Park in Prince George, VA.
This playground was just installed and was impressive. He played hard for at least 2 hours while I tried not to burn in the sun. After he was played out, we went home, cleaned up, and went out to see Iron Man 3. He really had not earned it with his recent behavior at school, but like me, Michael just needed to have some fun. It was a pretty good movie. When we left the theater, Michael said, "Oh man, it's getting dark already!?" Yep...it was almost 8pm...and a busy but fun day comes to a close.
Sunday was Mother's Day. Michael helped me pick out a nice set of ear rings for his mom. She mentioned, some months back, wanting a nice pair of simple, small hoops....yep, I remembered. She was very surprised.
In an effort to keep the fun coming, I took midget bowling. It was a better deal for 2 hours of bowling. I had no idea how physically challenging 2 hours of bowling with a 5 year old could be. Let's just say, daddy is sore. Michael was far to proud for the bumpers, refusing them every time I suggested them. He is one determined child. He did ok, even scoring a 67 one game....not far behind me.
Later, Melissa mentioned that she would love to share a picture of her new ear rings on Facebook but did not want people to think we were out spending money we did not have, especially since so many have helped us over the last couple months...and will probably help us in the coming months...it just didn't seem right. It was a good point, even though I did not spend a lot of money. On the other hand, am I really supposed to not purchase a nice gift for my sick wife on Mother's Day? I feel like we have done a great job of not spending frivolously and it is something I am proud of and fight hard to maintain. It's hard, because "retail therapy" is some effective stuff. At Christmas time, it really helped to shop for little man. Just ask Melissa about how many "comfy pants" I got her while she was in the hospital. Our lack of income, of course, makes it a little easier to not fray from our restricted spending.
I felt the need to address this because it brings up an additional struggle that cancer patients face, though I am not sure exactly what to call it. You need peoples help, both financially and emotionally, but at the same time, you have to continue to live your life; you have birthdays to celebrate, Christmas presents to buy, and affection to spread. Are you just supposed to stop doing the things you love, the things that make you YOU, because some hospital wants everything you make? Is that living? In a way, it is a matter of image...but not in the normal context. I often wonder, who did we forget to send a thank you card to? I mean, we are not preoccupied or anything, right? There have been so many who have helped us. Most I have talked to about this say that family and friends give because of love, not because of thank you cards. Gratitude, for ill people, should be understood. We are grateful for every gift...thought....prayer. I try to make sure that everyone knows, but frankly, our life is a tornado, and has been since November 27th 2012....it will remain that way for a while....we may not always choose the best or preferred way to thank those who have helped, but that does not mean we are not thankful or deserving of help. When donations came rolling in around Christmas, I did not go shopping for a new flat screen or buy new clothes, I kept my power bill paid...I paid my car payment...I purchased medications. For a while, I could not bring myself to even buy the better K-cups at the store. We are humble and becoming more humble every day...and we are certainly thankful.
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